Abstract: Objective No risk factor has been confirmed for para-aortic lymph node (PAN) metastasis from gastric cancer.To identify the risk factors of metastasis to PAN，we analyzed the data from a hospital population of two decades. Methods 255 patients with T2~T4 gastric cancer underwent gastrectomy with PAN dissection.The association between various clinicopathological factors and PAN metastasis was examined. Results Gender，tumor location，Borrmann type，and combined organ metabasis were significant risk factors for PAN metastasis after adjusting for other factors.The proportion of PAN metastasis was clearly different among the N0~3 groups (P=0.000). Conclusion Gender，tumor location，Borrmann type，and combined organ metabasis were associated with PAN metastasis.This finding may be useful in predicting PAN metastasis.